Graduate Program in Demography
A Dual-Title Graduate Degree Program 2009-2010
Overview - Prospective Students
What Predoctoral Degree Program in Demography is Offered at Penn State?
Penn State offers seven Graduate School approved dual-degree programs in Demography:
- M.A. and Ph.D. in Sociology and Demography
- M.A. and Ph.D. in Economics and Demography
- M.A. and Ph.D. in Anthropology and Demography
- M.S. and Ph.D. in Rural Sociology and Demography
- M.S. and Ph.D. in Agricultural, Environmental and Regional Economics and Demography
- M.S. and Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Studies and Demography
- M.S. and Ph.D. in Health Policy and Administration and Demography
In recent years approximately 60 trainees are enrolled annually in one of the above programs which best fulfill their prior academic training, research interests, and career goals. Penn State does not offer a self-standing predoctoral degree in Demography only. Since initiating Ph.D. training in the early 1960s at Penn State, 203 Ph.D. degrees have been awarded to students who designated demography/population studies as a major area of study.
A Ph.D. minor in Demography is available to Penn State graduate students in programs other than the dual-degree programs listed above. A minor in Applied Statistics is available to Demography students through the Department of Statistics.
Why Study Demography at Penn State?
- The Penn State Dual-degree program adds value to your research and scholarship training through a systematic educational program in two fields.
- The Penn State Dual-degree program promotes an interdisciplinary education through the course work curriculum, faculty mentors, and fellow-student interaction.
- The Penn State Dual-degree diploma provides clear academic credentials in TWO FIELDS with the expanded employment opportunities associated with multi-disciplinary certification.
Why Choose Penn State?
- The Penn State Dual-degree program has a low student/faculty ratio.
- The training program encompasses a systematic curriculum in demography, research mentoring by faculty, and professional development workshops for all students.
- The training paradigm is based on the philosophy that research and policy questions in demography are best pursued through an integration of the substantive knowledge, methods, dynamics and public policy issues of either micro(individual and household unit) or macro (neighborhood, state, and national unit) population science with existing and emerging research problems, scientific literatures, theories, and methodologies of other social, economic, and biological science disciplines. Thus the dual-degree approach to graduate education.
Is Funding Available?
Yes; currently all admitted graduate students affiliated with the Demography Program receive funding which includes a living expenses stipend and tuition grant, either through their department, Population Research Institute grants, or the Demography Program.
Who are the Demography Faculty?
The Demography Program faculty hold positions in the seven social, economic, and health science and policy departments offering the dual-degree programs. Currently there are 43 Demography Program faculty mentors for the 60 trainees, which provides a very low faculty-student ratio for personalized attention and enhanced opportunities for collaborative research and close student-faculty interaction.
What is the Population Research Institute?
The Population Research Institute is a vibrant comprehensive population research center composed of 68 faculty research associates from 15 different disciplinary backgrounds and nearly 30 support personnel. Currently the Population Research Institute research portfolio includes approximately 50 research and center support grants on an intellectually diverse range of population science problems and questions. This strong funded research environment provides a rich training context for Demography Program trainees.
What topics are Researchers at the Population Research Institute Working on?
Population Research Institute faculty associates have broad US and International research interests that include diverse topics concerning fertility, health and mortality, internal and international migration, aging, and family processes, including:
- Family demography and life course development
- Demography of children in low income settings
- Family solidarity and divorce
- Biodemography
- Community/spatial context and family/fertility behaviors
- Health over the life course
- Gender, race, and class health disparities
- Aging, health, and intergenerational relations
- Immigration and opportunities
- Children, families and educational attainment inequalities
- Spatial modeling of population well-being
- Social welfare policy, underemployment, and population change
- Population and economic development
Approximately 15 of Population Research Institute faculty associates have active international population research projects. View faculty interests and selected publications.
Where Do Students Go After Graduation?
Over the past 10 years approximately half of Penn State Demography Program Ph.D. graduates have accepted academic positions (as junior faculty or as postdoctoral fellows) and about half have accepted research or administrative positions in government, international agencies, non-profit organizations, corporations, or foundations. View current affiliations of graduates of the program
Where/How Should I Apply?
All students must apply to and be admitted through one of the seven participating dual-degree in Demography departmental programs: Sociology; Anthropology; Economics; Health Policy and Administration; Rural Sociology; Human Development and Family Studies; or Agricultural, Environmental and Regional Economics. Upon admission to one of the above department programs, you then will be admitted to the dual-degree program in Demography upon the recommendation of a Demography Program faculty member in that department. In your application statement of interest for admission, you should indicate and discuss your wish to pursue the dual-degree program in Demography
If you have questions, please contact:
Professor Gordon F. De Jong, Director
Graduate Program in Demography
The Pennsylvania State University
601 Oswald Tower
University Park, PA 16802 USA
(814)863-2277
FAX: (814)863-8342
Email us at dejong@pop.psu.edu
or complete the Information Request Form.
Last modified: 08/05/09 | Contact Webmaster
